Our Place
by PrehistoricCat
Summary: "He knew this was no hoax or sabotage.  Everything pointed to anomaly activity."  ... Connor goes undercover at an Archaeological dig when objects are uncovered that don't belong together.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended.**

**A/N: set after Abby and Connor return from the Cretaceaous. (oh, and series 4 starts on 1st Jan 2011 in the UK, woohoo!)**

* * *

It had all started about a month ago. Connor had been following the progress of a dig about thirty miles from the outskirts of the city. It had been all over the news; the Archaeologists had uncovered the remains of a juvenile T-Rex and were pretty excited by it. It was the most complete skeleton ever found in the UK, and anyone who was anyone in the world of Archaeology and Palaeontology was gathering at the site. Despite the fact he saw the real things practically every day now, Connor still found it fascinating and he would have given his right arm to be allowed on site and witness them uncovering the remains.

Then, the news suddenly stopped. It was like the dig no longer existed. Connor spent days trying to find out what was going on; even going to the site itself. They were still there, but everything was being kept very much hidden under tents. "Something's not right, Abby." Connor said. "They were all over this story a few days ago."

"Cover up?" Abby said.

"Why though?" Connor said. His mind was starting to work overtime; he had his suspicions already but he needed to get evidence before he approached Lester. He turned to his trusted methods of investigation - hacking into various files, trawling the likes of Twitter and Facebook, and just generally keeping tabs on various chat sites.

He eventually stumbled across a series of messages on Twitter. Apparently, other things were being uncovered at the site that didn't add up - objects buried within the same sedimentary layer as the T-Rex that were out of place by thousands of years. There was talk of it being sabotage; an attempt to discredit the original dig, but Connor grinned as he read on. He knew this was no hoax or sabotage. Everything pointed to anomaly activity.

"We need to get onto the site to investigate." Connor said to Lester.

"It's a private dig, Connor. We can't just turn up as government officials without good reason." Lester said.

"What about sending someone in undercover?" Becker suggested. Lester nodded in agreement. "It would need to be someone who would sound authentic; someone with a bit of knowledge."

Connor coughed. Lester looked at him and sighed. "I guess you're our only option." he said dryly. Connor punched the air and grinned. "I'll sort you out with some paperwork and a fake ID, and then we'll get you onto the site to find out what's going on."

So, two days later, Connor was flashing his new ID at the security check point and being ushered onto the dig site. "Follow me, Dr Temple. I'll introduce you to the team leader." The security guy led the way to a large tent at the far side of the site. Connor was trying desperately not to show his excitement; he needed to try and keep a professional air if he wanted to pull this off. He couldn't help but smile at being called 'Dr Temple' though. Had he stuck to his degree course, he would be a doctor by now anyway so he wasn't stretching the truth that far.

"Professor, your new expert has arrived." The security guy said. A man turned and stood up. Connor could tell straight away that he was in charge; he had that 'air' about him that commanded respect.

"Dr Temple, pleasure to meet you. I'm Professor Watts." He held out his hand for Connor to shake. Connor took a deep breath. People like the Professor made him nervous and he hoped his palms weren't clammy as he shook his hand.

"Thank you for accepting me onto your team." Connor said, trying not to sound like an idiot.

"You came highly recommended. I understand you recently spent an entire year studying the Cretaceous era?"

Connor felt his stomach churn. This was his cover story and he had to get it right. "Yes, you could say it became my life." he laughed.

"That's what I like to hear, a man dedicated to his work! I think you're going to fit right in here, Dr Temple."

The rest of the day was spent being introduced to the rest of the team. It was all a blur, and Connor was certain he'd forget everyone's names. All he wanted to do was get to the dig itself and find out what was going on, but as darkness began to fall he was still no wiser. He slowly made his way into the tent he was going to be sharing with one of the Archaeologists, a young man by the name of Sam.

Sam was already there when Connor pulled back the doorway. "Hi, you must be Sam? I'm Connor."

"Yeah. Hi." Sam said, without really looking up.

Connor placed his bag on the empty bed and then sat down next to it. Connor got the impression Sam didn't want to socialise, so he got his mobile phone out and called Abby. He was missing her already; this was the first time they'd been apart since before their time in the Cretaceous. He listened to her going on about an argument between Becker and Matt; just making the occasional grunt so she knew he was paying attention. He just wanted to hear the sound of her voice and she could have been reciting Nursery rhymes for all he cared.

"So how was your day?" she said eventually. "Have you been able to see what's going on?"

"No, today was just about being introduced to everyone. Hopefully I can go to the dig itself tomorrow." Connor replied.

"Well don't take too long over it." Abby said. "I miss you."

"I miss you too." Connor said quietly. He glanced over at Sam, who was sat on his bed reading a book. "I wish you could have come here too."

"There's no way I could pull it off, Connor. Yes, I can do the 'Cretaceous era expert' thing, but if they started using technical jargon, my cover would be blown instantly." Abby sighed. "Anyway, I guess I should let you go."

"Yeah." Connor said. He could've talked to her all night and didn't really want to end the call. "Love you, Abby."

"Love you too, Connor." she said back, and then she was gone.

After a moment of silence, Sam spoke. "If you wanted to whisper sweet nothings to your girlfriend, you only had to say. I don't mind making myself scarce for a few minutes to give you a bit of privacy."

"Its OK. But maybe tomorrow if that's alright?" Connor said.

"Not a problem." Sam said, turning back to his book.

"And the same goes for me. If you need some privacy to make a phonecall…"

"Thanks, but its not an issue for me. I do too much travelling with this job; holding down a relationship of any kind is impossible." Sam shifted nervously, then cleared his throat. "So, you're the expert on the Cretaceous era then?" Connor nodded. "Have they told you anything about the discoveries?"

"Nothing really, other than it's the most intact skeleton found in this country." Connor said.

"Cast your eyes on this. I'd be really interested in your thoughts." Sam said, opening up his laptop. Moments later, he was opening up some photos that he had taken of the remains. He clicked a few buttons then bit his bottom lip. "Yes, we have the remains of a juvenile T-Rex, but it appears it didn't die of natural causes."

"Oh?" Connor said.

"What does this look like to you?" Sam turned the laptop around so that Connor could see the screen. Connor gasped. Wedged between what looked like two rib bones was a stone spear head - and not just any spear head either.

"That's impossible." Connor said quietly, his voice straining because of the lump forming in his throat.

"I know! That's what all the secrecy is about. It seems our friend was killed by a spear, that stone head was carved by a pretty skilled human. I have no idea what it means, but it could change everything we believe about the evolution of early man." Sam said, looking at Connor's ashen face.

Connor could feel his heart pounding. His early suspicions had been correct; this was definitely anomaly activity, and not just any anomaly either. He stared at the photo in front of him, There was no mistaking it; he recognised his own handy work instantly. If he was correct, the T-Rex they were uncovering was the one he had killed the morning he and Abby had come back to the present day. That also meant that this site was the place they had called home for a year.

-o-


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in updating, had various distractions ;) Hope you enjoy this and please leave comments!**

* * *

Connor was afraid to fall asleep. Even three months after the ordeal in the Cretaceous, he still had the occasional nightmare. He'd wake up in a cold sweat, with Abby wrapping her arms around him and telling him it was all OK. She said he often shouted out in his sleep too; reliving moments of terror in his head. He couldn't risk giving anything away here; especially as he was sharing a tent with Sam. He had a pretty restless night, the alarm on his phone set to go off every couple of hours so that he wouldn't drift off into a deep sleep. He'd worried about disturbing Sam too and that he'd have to explain why he kept waking up; but Sam was a deep sleeper and didn't stir until the morning.

The warmth of the sun soon made the tent stuffy, and Connor couldn't wait to get outside for fresh air. He'd been there for a few minutes when Sam emerged. They exchanged sleepy 'good morning's and blinked.

"Breakfast here is pretty good." Sam said. "Full English if you want it."

"Sounds good to me!" Connor said. "Although I would like to get straight on and see the dig site."

"I'm sure you'll get your chance." Sam said, then he lowered his voice. "I probably shouldn't have shown you that photo last night. I'd appreciate it if you didn't let on…."

"Hey, no problem. Don't want to get you into trouble. What do you think though? How did that spear head end up stuck with that T-Rex?" Connor said, as the two of them strolled over to the mess tent for breakfast.

"Logic says it was planted there, maybe years ago. Some of the guys here say it was deliberate sabotage by the locals who don't want us digging up their park and turning it into a no go area." Sam said.

"Makes sense." Connor said.

"It does, and that's why they're keeping so quiet about it. But it was buried within the bones themselves; encased in the same soil. If it was planted there, we'd see disturbances in the sedimentary layers." Sam lowered his voice again. "I reckon we're either looking at evidence that humans existed millions of years before we previously thought… or we've got time travelling Neanderthals." he laughed.

Connor laughed along nervously. "Someone's been watching too many Sci-Fi movies!" he said. The conversation then shifted to various movies they'd both seen as they sat down to bacon, eggs and tomatoes and a large mug of tea. Connor was beginning to like Sam and decided that despite the initial barriers he'd put up, Sam could prove a good source of information.

After breakfast, Sam went to join the rest of his team and Connor watched them wander down to where he presumed the excavation site was. He was itching to get there and decided he'd approach Professor Watts. When he did, he was pleasantly surprised that he didn't have to argue or beg - "Of course you can view the site, Dr Temple." he said. "There's not much for you to do there at the moment, the bones are all in situ still."

"That's fine. I'd like to see it in it's natural glory." Connor said, desperately trying to remain poker faced whilst inside his stomach felt like a washing machine and his heart was racing. "This is a pretty unique find for this country, I feel privileged to be given this opportunity."

Some minutes later, Connor was following the Professor down to the site. He immediately felt the excitement in the air amongst the archaeological team as they went about their tasks. He'd been to digs before, and marvelled at how meticulous they were; taking care not to damage anything with a careless jab of a trowel. He'd decided pretty early on in his studies that he didn't want to be out in the field like this day in day out - he didn't have the patience to sit there with a tiny brush for hours on end. He noticed a girl at the far end; her long dark hair tied back into a pony tail, and it made him think about Sarah. He'd watched her spend several hours cleaning up the artefact -she would have loved this. He wiped a stray tear from his face, remembering that she had died whilst trying to rescue him and Abby.

"Connor! Come and take a look!" a voice interrupted Connor's thoughts; it was Sam. Pulling himself back together, he strolled over to where Sam was working and knelt beside him. Sam started to explain what they were doing whilst Connor tried to focus. He could make out the rough shape of the T-Rex; Sam was at the tail end, and the creature appeared to be laid out in a North-South direction with the head pointing North.

For a moment, Connor found himself back in the Cretaceous on the morning that he and Abby had found the anomaly that took them home. They'd been woken by the sound of the young T-Rex stumbling into their camp. It didn't seem afraid of the fire that they kept constantly burning to keep predators away; quite the opposite in fact. When Abby had tried to frighten it away by pounding it with rocks, it simply grew more aggressive and was about to attack her - that was when he had grabbed his spear and he stabbed the creature in the ribs. It slumped to the ground; screeching out in agony, and that was when they decided to run before it's cries attracted other predators. It was too late, and a Spinosaurus stalked them and went after them. That was when they found the anomaly and they ran through it, followed by the Spinosaurus and straight into the firing line of Becker's men.

He shook his head, needing to bring himself back into the here and now. He glanced over to where there was a group gathered, all looking at one particular area. "What are they doing?" Connor whispered to Sam, nodding in the direction of the group.

"That's where the spear head is. They're going to take some soil samples and begin to remove some of the bones and the spear head so they can take them away for carbon dating." Sam said.

Carbon dating. Connor hadn't thought of that. They'd realise very soon that the spear head and the bones were the same age as the surrounding soil and then all hell would break loose. He couldn't allow that to happen - somehow he had to sabotage the process; but how? He stood up and went over to the group, hoping to try and find out more.

"Dr Temple, come and take a look at this!" A voice said. He saw Professor Watts kneeling by the bones. The group parted to allow Connor through, and he knelt beside the Professor. "This is what all the fuss and secrecy has been about. Does this look like Cretaceous era to you, Dr Temple?" He was pointing directly at the spear head.

Connor felt his stomach flip. There was no doubt; it was one of his spear heads. "It could just be a stone that happens to look like a spear." he said.

"We've thought of that, but closer examination reveals markings on it where something sharp has been scraped along it, indicating that it was deliberately carved into that shape. And given the fact it seems buried in the rib cage of our creature, I would say it bares all the hallmarks of a weapon." Professor Watts said.

"It has to be a fake." Connor said. "The earliest recorded findings of human activity like this was only 3 million years ago; the T-Rex existed at least 100 million years before that." He knew he was stating the blindingly obvious, but he had to try and keep them thinking along the lines that there was no way the two could exist together.

"We know that, but what if everything we've believed so far has been incorrect? What if there were human like creatures in existence during the Cretaceous era, maybe earlier than that? That's why we're going to do the carbon dating, it should tell us once and for all what we're dealing with here." The professor said.

Connor shook his head. "I suppose you have the best working on it?"

"Of course! Professor Andrews over there works for the labs at the University of Southern England. We'll know within a few days if we have to rewrite all our history books or not."

Connor could only stand back and watch as the scientists removed samples and placed them into small plastic bags. He only had a couple of days to work out how to change the results of the carbon dating tests; he wasn't going to be able to do this alone. If he was the ARC, he'd be able to hack into the University's computer systems and mess about with the results. He didn't even have a reliable internet connection out here, and he was concerned that any phonecalls or text messages would be monitored. Somehow, he was going to have to get a message to Abby that he needed to meet her, and then explain everything so she could enlist the help of Jess - the ARC's new computer geek. He still wasn't entirely sure he could trust Jess, but she was very good at her job - anyone who could crack Connor's security codes on the ARCs systems like she did in his absence had to be the best. Besides, there really was no other option. He decided he would have to start teaching Abby a few tricks - after all, in the Cretaceous, she'd taught him how to fight the Abby Maitland way; maybe now was the time to teach her how to fight the Connor Temple way.

He couldn't waste any time. He made his excuses and found a quiet spot to compose a text message to Abby. It had been some time since they'd used their secret code and he hoped she would remember it. When they first came back from the Cretaceous, Connor had been incredibly paranoid about everything. He was convinced that he and Abby were being spied on; and that any communication between the two of them was being recorded. He'd spent hours devising a series of ordinary looking messages that were codes for various things. Abby had played along with him; secretly enjoying the air of 'cloak and dagger' Connor was creating. Their most commonly used message still made him smile. "Meet me for a sandwich …" That was their code for "Let's have sex right now!" They had a lot of sandwiches in those first few weeks.

"We need some milk. Where's the best place to go?" He texted. It was the code for "We need to talk, tell me where to meet you." He sat and waited anxiously, hoping she would remember. Much to his relief, five minutes later, Abby had replied with a location - the supermarket about three miles away, it had a coffee shop where they could meet and if anyone was following them it would look very innocent and ordinary.

"Is everything alright, Dr Temple?" Professor Watts said as Connor rejoined the group around the dig site.

"Yes, just checking in with the girlfriend." Connor said. "First time we've been apart since we came… since we moved in together." The other men exchanged a few looks then carried on with their discussion.

"And how is Abigail?" Professor Watts said.

"She prefers Abby … and how did you know her name?" Connor was instantly suspicious.

"Relax, no-one's spying on you! We have to have a next of kin contact, purely for insurance purposes. Sir James Lester gave us Abigail's number." The Professor smiled, and turned to one of the scientists to talk to him.

Connor was not happy at this latest development. He was surprised at Lester for compromising their personal security like that. This meant that they were probably monitoring any calls Abby made too; so he was going to have to warn her to be extra careful. Perhaps they should buy a couple of cheap 'pay as you go' phones on the High street to use for the time being?

He spent the rest of the morning with Sam, but keeping half an eye on what was happening with the removal of the samples for carbon dating. Thankfully, they seemed to be taking their time with it so there was no real urgency to what he needed to do, but he knew he had to speak to Abby as soon as possible.

"I need to take a trip off site this afternoon." Connor said over lunch. "Forgot a few essentials. Abby's going to meet me in town later, if that's OK?"

"You're not a prisoner, Dr Temple. You're welcome to come and go as you please. We just ask that you keep quiet about what you've seen." The professor said. Connor breathed a sigh of relief; at least he didn't have to try and sneak away.

Lunch over, he took the short drive to where he'd arranged to meet Abby - taking a longer route and doubling back on himself just in case he was being followed. He had spotted Abby's car in the car park when he arrived and practically ran inside to find her.

"Connor!" Abby called as he walked into the coffee shop. She waved him over; his usual order of a caramel latte waiting for him. After exchanging hugs and a much needed passionate kiss, Connor sat down. They began chatting about normal things like the weather and what the food was like at the site, then Abby opened the proper discussion.

"So why all the secrecy, Connor? What's going on there and why did you need to use the code?"

"You'll never believe what they've found, Abby! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either." He lowered his voice and told Abby about the spear head and the T-Rex; her mouth open the whole time.

"So, what you're saying is; they've found the place where we lived for the best part of a year?" she said eventually.

"In a nutshell, yes." Connor looked at her and realised that she was fighting back tears. He reached across the table and held her hand. "Abby?"

"All that time, and we were only a few miles from home." she blinked rapidly, determined not to cry in front of a crowded coffee shop.

"I know! Its weird isn't it? We both said we felt drawn to that cave when we first stumbled on it and that it felt right. If I believed in fate, I'd say we were led there for a reason."

They both sat in silence for a moment, sipping their coffees. Suddenly it felt like only yesterday that they'd been in the Cretaceous; and that brought a mixture of happiness and fear. "Do you remember much about that last day?" Connor said eventually. "A lot of it is just a blur. I'm trying to picture how the creature fell in relation to where the entrance to our cave was… I'd like to try and work out exactly where it was."

Abby closed her eyes for a moment. "The head was pointing towards the cave." she said. "And the fire to the left of it."

"How far was it? 5 metres?"

"I guess so, something like that." Abby said.

Connor banged his fist on the table, making the people on the next table turn and look at him. "I can't believe I was so stupid, Abby! We were so careful the whole time we there to make sure we didn't leave any trace of ourselves behind for this very reason!"

Abby stroked his face. "We did leave in a bit of a hurry, Connor. We were being chased if you remember. If we hadn't taken a chance and gone through that anomaly, we'd have been eaten by the Spinosaurus. There wasn't the time to go back and tidy up after ourselves."

"I know, I know." Connor calmed himself. "There's no point getting upset over it. It's just that now we have a slightly awkward situation to deal with. There's enough people on the site convinced the spear head is a hoax planted by the locals to stop the dig to keep an element of doubt there. But they're doing carbon dating, and within a few days they're going to find out that the spear head is the same age as the T-Rex and the whole history of the planet is going to be re-written. That's where I need your help."

Abby shook her head. She didn't know how she could help. "What do you need me to do, Connor?"

Connor explained how he needed Jess to hack into the University computers and alter the results of the carbon dating tests. He scribbled down a few websites that Jess could use to help her understand what she was looking for. "She has to do it from the ARC, even if I could get a half decent internet connection on the site I couldn't guarantee it being secure."

Abby nodded. All this was completely beyond her, but she supposed it would mean something to Jess. Abby had liked the young girl instantly and liked having another female around the ARC. With Sarah dead and Jenny no longer around, Abby and Jess stuck together and gave the boys a hard time - especially Connor and Becker. It was strange seeing the relationship between Becker and Jess; it was almost like looking at her and Connor before they were thrown together in the past. Abby hoped that Becker wouldn't need something as dramatic as she had needed to make him see what was right in front of his eyes. She folded the paper Connor had been writing on, and slipped it into her jacket pocket.

"I should be getting back." Connor said with a sigh. He kissed Abby and pulled her into an embrace; one he didn't want to break off from. "Remember to use the code from now on, we can't be too careful."

Abby couldn't help but smile at him. Trust Connor to be so paranoid. It was one of the things she had grown to like about him; it meant he cared about what was happening even if it did occasionally cause friction. "I'll be careful." she said, pulling away from him. "Am I still allowed to say I love you though?"

Connor blushed. "I think that would be OK."

Back in his car, he had to wait several minutes for his tears to disappear before he could drive back to the dig site. Being apart from Abby was almost killing him. He was going to make sure this never happened again.

The site was a hive of activity when he returned. At first, he wasn't sure what was going on, but then he spotted a familiar piece of equipment and it struck fear into his heart. This was taking things a step further and could make things incredibly difficult. He'd seen Tom use one during their first year at University. There were two men scanning the ground with an electro magnetic meter - a device used to take electronic readings of the ground. They could produce images to make a map and see if there was anything hidden in the ground. Connor knew they would be able to see evidence of the camp - such as the circle of rocks they had used to keep their campfire contained. At the moment; if Abby's memory had been correct, they were looking in the wrong direction, but if they decided to do their survey on the other side then all would be revealed.

Connor had to think of something and fast. A single spear head he could easily dismiss as fake, but if they made more discoveries…


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Not mine, no copyright intended**

**A/N: Big apologies for not updating sooner, too many distractions with all the series 4 news coming out! Final part... comments welcomed, keeps the muse happy.**

* * *

Connor was anxious, and getting more irritable by the minute. It had been two days since his meeting with Abby, and he was waiting for her to send him the coded message that would mean Jess has managed to hack into the University computer and access the results of the carbon dating tests. The longer this went on, the more worried he became. He was cursing not being able to do it himself, figuring that he would have done it by now- but he reasoned with himself; Jess was good at this sort of thing too, and if she hadn't managed to get in then it must be a difficult system to crack.

"Everything OK, Connor?" Sam said. "You've been checking your phone every half an hour."

"Yeah... just waiting on some important news, that's all." Connor replied. He had to stop this, or someone would start getting suspicious. "I need something to take my mind of it, any ideas?"

"Why don't you come and help us catalogue the bones? We're getting ready to move it to the museum, and everything has to be marked up and photographed so we can piece it back together." Sam said. Connor nodded. He'd spent an entire summer doing exactly that when he was a student, so at least he could look like he knew what he was doing.

Out on the site, Connor noticed that they were just focussing on the T-Rex, having given up on surveying the surrounding area for the time being. It was a relief to Connor, but he had to act disappointed when they told him that the funding was running low. Professor Watts told him that they hoped the carbon dating would throw up some interesting results and win them more funding to carry on. Still, he couldn't take any chances, he was going to tamper with the electro-magnetic meter anyway, just in case.

As the afternoon dragged on, Connor worked with Sam. He took photos whilst Sam labelled, and catalogued it on his laptop. Just after 4pm, his phone vibrated in his pocket – a text message from Abby. His heart was in his mouth as he read - "Jess's results came back positive. Everything is OK." He sighed and smiled. She'd done it!

"Good news then?" Sam said.

"You could say that. A friend of ours has been waiting to hear if she's got the all clear after Cancer treatment. Abby's just texted me to say it's all good!" Connor grinned. He could go back to the ARC now that he had managed to make it look like the spear head had been planted. He just needed to do the business with the electro-magnetic meter, and then he could go. Sam was called over by the dig manager, leaving Connor alone except for one or two others who were students.

The archaeologists were gathered by Professor Watts's tent, brows creased and looking very unhappy. Connor tried to hear what they were saying, but their voices were muffled. He would ask Sam when he came back; but he could hazard a guess what was happening. After about 20 minutes, they all dispersed, looking slightly dejected. Sam came back and squatted by his laptop. "I've had enough for today. Do you mind if we call it a day?"

"Not at all. What was all that about?" Connor said, putting the camera away into the case.

"Oh, Professor Watts got the results of the carbon dating back. The spear head is from a completely different era to the T-Rex bones, so it does look like someone's been playing games with us." Sam looked almost angry. "It's hard enough to get funding these days, without idiots trying to make us look like fools!"

"I'm sorry." Connor said. "Would've been a great story to tell the grandchildren eh? That you were there when they discovered the ape man lived millions of years before they'd previously thought." Connor tried to seem upbeat.

"Yeah, I could have retired on the money from the publicity too! Oh well, its back to crawling on my hands and knees in muddy fields I suppose."

Connor almost felt sorry for Sam, watching him slowly pack away his equipment. He wished he could tell him the truth; Sam would love it. But there would be no way Lester or Burton would allow another civilian onto the team; he and Abby had had to fight for their places as it was.

The following morning, most of the archaeologists were out on site, cataloguing and uncovering more of the skeleton. The mood was definitely sombre, and Connor felt guilty. The sooner he got away the better. He'd been watching the electro-magnetic meter all morning; looking for an opportunity to go and tamper with it, but it was hardly ever left unattended. There was also a lot of whispering going on - Professor Watts had visitors and they'd been inside the large tent for several hours.

"It's the police, apparently." one of the team said.

"Why?" Connor said.

"I heard they think someone hacked into the computers at the University and altered the results." Sam said.

Connor's stomach lurched. What if Jess hadn't covered her tracks properly, and right now they were tracing back the activity straight to the ARC? There was nothing in his code to warn Abby, and he didn't dare call her, so he had to carry out his sabotage plan now, and leave as soon as possible. He had to make sure they couldn't trace the hacking back to the ARC. Whilst the rest of the group gossiped about why the police were there, Connor slipped away un-noticed. The equipment was simple enough, all he'd have to do is pull out a few chips to render it useless for a while. By the time they'd got replacement parts, the dig would probably be winding up anyway.

Glancing around to make sure he wasn't being watched, he pulled out his tiny toolkit from his pocket. He began unscrewing a panel on the meter, exposing the circuit board inside. Just as he was about to pull it out, he became aware that someone was behind him.

"Can you explain to me that you're doing, Dr Temple … if that is even your name?" Professor Watts said, flanked on either side by two men in suits.

Connor couldn't speak. He'd never been a good liar at the best of times, but being confronted by three men that were considerably larger than him made him even more nervous.

"Think you'd better come with us." One of the men said. Connor just followed silently. How was he going to explain this? Lester was going to kill him! He was led into the large tent where there were a couple of the other senior archaeologists and a police officer in full uniform. They motioned for him to sit down in front of them, and instantly Connor felt like he was on trial.

"We've been checking up on everyone that joined the team recently due to some unusual activity." Professor Watts said. "And it seems you're a bit of an enigma. You're not actually a doctor are you, Connor?"

Connor shook his head; what else could he do? His throat felt like it was being crushed, his head hurt so much he believed he'd faint and his stomach was like a washing machine on spin cycle.

"In fact, there's very little on you at all after you dropped out of University in 2007, it's almost as if Connor Temple stopped existing. So, we looked up your girlfriend as well."

Connor felt a burst of anger. "This is nothing to do with Abby!" he yelled. "Leave her alone!"

Professor Watts turned to one of the men who had been with him when he caught Connor at the electro-magnetic meter. "Tell him what we found, Detective Sommers."

"Seems your girlfriend also disappeared in 2007, she was on the payroll at Wellington Zoo until October that year, and then there is no record of her."

Connor was seething. If Lester hadn't given them Abby's name, they wouldn't be dragging her into this. "It's just coincidence, that's all. Abby has nothing to do with me trying to take that machine apart."

"This isn't about that, although it does add to the suspicions against you. Someone has been hacking into our files, specifically the test results for the carbon dating. We understand you got into trouble during your first term at University for trying to alter some exam results for your friend." Professor Watts said.

The Detective stood up and motioned for the uniformed officer to come over. "Connor Temple, I am arresting you for attempted sabotage and illegally accessing protected data."

Connor began to protest, but the policeman had grabbed his wrists and was putting handcuffs on him. "You have the right to remain silent, and anything you do say may be used in a court of law. Do you understand?" Connor nodded miserably. He knew he was beaten and there was nothing he could do about it; not yet anyway. Lester would bail him out in a few hours and sort everything out.

-o-

Abby stared at her phone in horror. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard and it took a moment for her to pull herself together. She ran down the corridor and banged on Lester's door, going straight into his office without waiting for him to say "come in". He glared at her. "This had better be good, Miss Maitland."

"Connor's been arrested. His cover's blown and they suspect him of trying to discredit the work at the site!"

Lester rolled his eyes and sighed. "Bloody idiot! Where have they taken him?"

Abby gave Lester all of the details and waited for him to spring into action. He sat and rubbed the bridge of his nose as he thought about the next move. "You're going to bail him out, aren't you? The Minister can pull a few strings and ..." Abby began.

"I don't know if it's as simple as that." Lester said. "They have a legitimate case against him, it's going to take more than just a few words from the Minister this time I'm afraid."

Abby slumped back in her chair and closed her eyes. Connor would be going out of his mind; he had sounded pretty distressed on the phone, and she'd promised him they would get him out. "What are we going to do?"

"There's only one person who can help. Leave this with me." Abby took that as her cue to leave him alone to speak with his 'contacts'.

-o-

"You have a visitor, Temple." the guard said. "Says she's your legal advisor and has managed to get half an hour in the private interview room with you."

"Thanks." Connor said, slightly puzzled. She? Surely Abby hadn't managed to get herself in? Part of him was really desperate to see her, but another part of him didn't want her to see him in this situation. He was led to a small office, with no windows and just a small table with two chairs. He could hear the sound of stiletto heels in the corridor getting closer. Who was it?

"What have you got yourself into this time?" said a familiar voice.

"Jenny!" Connor leapt up and almost hugged her. She gave him a look that told him to sit down The last time he'd seen her, she was walking out of the ARC having just survived being nearly frozen to death. He knew she'd done a little work for Lester during the time he and Abby were missing; she'd come up with the cover story for their families, so he shouldn't have been surprised to see her here now. "I'm so glad to see you! You're gonna get me out of here right?"

"Eventually." she said, sitting down with a serious look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Connor said dismayed.

"I mean; I'm going to get you out of here, but there are certain protocols to go through... and if the cover up story is going to seem plausible, then I'm afraid we have to keep you in prison for a little while longer." Jenny pulled a folder from her bag and opened it. It contained photographs, written reports.

"Cover up?" Connor said.

"Obviously the ministry doesn't want anyone suspecting anything out of the ordinary. Having you uncovered as an imposter and them realising that the test results were hacked into has provided a perfect cover story. You're going to admit to faking your way into the dig in order to sabotage it. It was you that planted the spear head at the site, and it was you that hacked into the computer to try and make the test results look like the spear and the T-Rex were from the same era but you failed to get the full access. Once that story comes out, no-one will believe that they really are the same age and they'll be asked to complete the excavation of the bones and leave." Jenny couldn't look Connor in the eyes.

"So I'm going to be stuck with a criminal record and time in prison?" Connor said, banging his fist on the table. "Jenny, I can't ..."

"Once you're released, the Minister will make sure your file is wiped clean. There'll be no record of this in your history."

"How long do I have to stay here for?" Connor was not happy. "You hear so many stories about prison!"

"You're not in any danger here, Connor. This prison is for petty criminals, there's no axe murderers or rapists here. We have to give it a couple of weeks, let the archaeologists go through the motions of making a formal charge against you, and then they'll be made an offer they can't refuse as long as they drop the case. If we bailed you out straight away, someone would smell a rat."

Connor sighed. He knew Jenny knew her job well; she was used to cover stories and making them look plausible. He had to trust her that this was the right thing. "Does Abby know?"

Jenny nodded. "She's not happy about it either, but she understands why it has to be like this. We'll make sure she gets visitation rights." She stood up. "This isn't easy for any of us, Connor. Keeping the anomalies secret is our top priority, and anything that could cast doubt on the established academic thinking has to be dealt with." She took his hand and squeezed it. "I promise I won't let this drag on any longer than is absolutely necessary. Your initial hearing is tomorrow, and I'll be there as your legal advisor. I suggest you familiarise yourself with the story we've come up with for you, although its unlikely they'll ask you about all this – it'll just be to confirm your name, whether you understand the charges against you, your plea – which will be guilty of course, and to set bail." She handed him the file she had brought in with her.

"Bail? I can get out tomorrow then?" Connor said, slightly confused.

"No. The amount of money they'll ask for will be huge; way beyond anything Abby could come up with. It's all about plausibility, Connor. We could pay your bail for you and make it look like it came from Abby but..."

Connor shook his head and buried his face in his hands. "OK." he said sadly. "I suppose I don't have any choice do I?"

"Sorry, Connor." Jenny said. "I'll see you in court tomorrow." She forced a smile and left, leaving Connor feeling betrayed. He did partly understand why they were doing all this, but surely there was another way that didn't mean he had to spend time in prison? He was led silently back to his cell, where he curled up on the bed and closed his eyes, trying not to cry.

-o-

The court hearing took just over 10 minutes. He was led in, and Jenny came over to sit by his side. He glanced around, and could see Abby sat with Jess up in the public gallery. He desperately wanted to call out to her, but he'd been told that he should only speak when spoken to so all he could do was smile weakly at her. Abby smiled back, but he could see it was forced and that she was trying to be strong for him.

It was just as Jenny had said it would be. They asked him to confirm his full name and address, and read out the charges against him – hacking into the University computer, fraud, attempted sabotage. The Judge said he could be looking at a prison sentence of 5 years and Connor felt sick. What if this all went wrong and they refused to drop the charges? He glanced up at Jess who was looking very uncomfortable – Connor was facing charges for something she'd done and had to sit back and let it happen.

"Do you understand the allegations made against you, Mr Temple?" the Judge said. Connor nodded. "I have to ask you to actually say it, for the recording."

"Yes, I understand." Connor said.

"And how do you plead?"

"Guilty, your Honour." Connor said quietly.

The Judge declared that bail be set at £5000 and set the formal hearing and sentencing for 1 month from now. Connor was led out in handcuffs, glancing up at Abby. She was crying, and mouthed "I love you!" as he turned away. Crying was not an option for him now. He could not let any of the other prisoners see him weak and vulnerable if the next couple of weeks were going to be anything resembling normal.

-o-

Jenny was true to her word and two weeks later Connor was led out to the main office, handed his belongings in a plastic bag and told that he was free to go.

"They paid my bail then?" He said, knowing exactly what had happened but he had to pretend otherwise.

"The University and the archaeological team have dropped all the charges against you." The chief officer said.

He practically ran outside, loving the feel of fresh air on his face again. He could see Abby waiting for him just beyond the gate and he shouted to her. The wait for the guard to unbolt the gate felt like an eternity, and when he eventually got through he flung his arms around Abby and picked her up off her feet, swinging her around. She'd been to see him in prison a couple of times, but he'd hated it. It felt degrading, and it bothered him that Abby had to see him like that. He also hated the way the other prisoners looked at her as if she was a piece of meat.

"Come on, Connor. There's pizza and beer waiting for you at home, and then we can do whatever you want." Abby said, grabbing his hand and leading him over to the car.

"Sounds good to me." Connor said. "How did Jenny get them to drop the charges? She said something about an offer they couldn't refuse?"

"Money talks Connor. They were offered funding for a project on the south coast, as long as they completed the excavation of the T-Rex and moved on from that site, and dropped the charges against you. Once the T-Rex has gone, Lester's going to make sure no-one else gets interested in that site – which I think the locals will fully support." Abby said, smiling. "I'm just relieved it worked and you're coming home finally!"

"Tell me about it!" Connor said, blinking away his tears.

-o-

_Six months later_

Abby parked the car at the spot Connor had indicated and peered through the windscreen at the park. "This is where it was then?"

"Yes. Where those workmen are, that's where the T-Rex was. Come on, I want you to see it!" Connor got out of the car and waited for Abby to lock up. He took her hand and led her across the road towards the end of the park where a group of workmen were laying fresh turf. The sign on the fence said that it was a "local government funded project" which made Abby smile. Amazing how funding can suddenly be found when they needed to cover up something. At least the local school and youth groups were getting their long campaigned for playing field.

They stood at the edge of the fence, watching for a moment; both lost in thoughts of what this area had looked like to them less than a year ago. "I paced it out." Connor said eventually. "From where the body was, I worked out where our camp was." he took Abby's hand again and led her a little way into the park itself. They sat on a bench and Connor began picking out various points. "I could be out by a couple of feet or so, but by my reckoning the circle of stones we made for the fire would have been about here... and the tree you hung your rucksack on to make a punch bag was just to the left of it."

Abby smiled. She could picture it all as if they'd been there only yesterday. Despite all the terrible things that had happened to them in the Cretaceous, their little camp had been a tiny piece of home and held so many special memories. "So our cave would have been somewhere..."

"Right here." Connor grinned. "This bench is pretty much on the spot where we slept for a year."

"Really?" Abby said, feeling her heart rate quicken. Connor nodded and shifted to one side so that Abby could see the engraving on the back of the bench.

"_This is our place."_

"Connor! This is ..." Abby found herself crying.

Connor's smile dropped. "Abby? I'm sorry, the last thing I wanted was to upset you. If this is too painful, we can go."

"No, it's lovely Connor. I can't believe you did this! This place is so special; its where we finally sat down and talked about how we feel... its where we felt safe... its where we made love for the first time." She pulled Connor into a tender kiss. "And now we can come back whenever we want and just sit here and remember!"

"It gets better than that, Abby!" Connor said. Abby raised her eyebrow at him questioningly. "I did ask Lester about getting planning permission to build a house on this spot, but even he couldn't get around the regulations for public spaces."

"That's a shame, but the bench is a great..."

"So I had to think of another plan." Connor interrupted. Abby could tell he was nervous about something; he always started to babble without taking a breath when he was worried about what he was about to say. She sat back and patiently waited for him to get to his point. "See that house over the road with the blue door?" Abby nodded. "It's for sale, and last week I went and had a look around it. From the front bedroom window, you can see the bench." he took a deep breath. "I think we should buy it, what do you think?"

Abby looked at him. He was giving her the puppy dog eyes that she found incredibly difficult to say no to. They'd talked about getting their own place instead of just renting a flat; a home of their own with a garden, and spare bedrooms – initially for guests and then maybe for children if things worked out. It was a nice little fantasy, but Abby had never dreamed it would be a reality just yet. "We can't afford it, Connor. We talked about it before." she took his hand and squeezed it.

"I know... but come on, it wouldn't hurt to take a closer look would it?" His smile was making the dimple in his cheek deepen, and there was a twinkle in his eyes. Abby gave in.

"OK, let's take a look at it." she said. Connor practically dragged her over the road, and then they stood hand in hand at the front of the house. A van pulled up beside them and a man got out. He took a wooden sign from the back and then began to hammer it over the "For Sale" board. It said "Sold"

"Oh Connor." Abby said sadly, squeezing his hand. She turned to face him, expecting to see his sad eyes and a look of disappointment – but instead she met the widest grin she'd ever seen. "Connor?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a bunch of keys. "Want to take a look inside our new home, Abby?"

"But how? I mean we can't ..." Abby gasped. She couldn't believe it, their little dream was becoming a reality – but at what cost?

"The sale of me Gran's house finally went through last month. There was enough to put by to pay for me mum's room at the nursing home, and for the deposit on this place." Connor said.

"But that money was for your future, Connor. Your Gran wanted you to use it..."

"This is my future, Abby! Me, you, Rex, Sid and Nancy in a place we can call our own." He unlocked the front door. "You'll fall in love with it just like I did!"

Abby moved towards him and was about to follow him inside when he stopped her. She looked at him with a puzzled expression. He swept her up into his arms, holding her like a baby. She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Aren't you supposed to carry me over the threshold when we get married?"

"Just getting some practise in, aren't I?" he said breathlessly, almost stumbling through the doorway into the hall and causing Abby to bang her head against the wall.

"Yeah, you bloomin' need it!" she said, rubbing her head.

"Sorry!" Connor said, slowly lowering her to stand on the floor and then pulling her into his embrace. He was grinning from ear to ear and staring into Abby's eyes.

"You look happy." Abby sighed, returning his smile.

"I am. Doesn't get much better than this does it? And do you realise what you said for the first time?"

Abby shook her head. She loved Connor, but sometimes he seemed to go off on random tangents and expected everyone to keep up.

"You said 'when we get married' not 'if we get married'."

"I did, didn't I." Abby said, a twinkle in her eye. She pulled away from him and tangled her fingers into his. "You'd better give me the guided tour."

As he led Abby around the house, his heart raced. For the first time since he'd left the safety of his childhood home, he was daring to plan a future beyond the next few weeks and actually felt positive about it. He'd never believed in fate, but somehow it felt like he and Abby were meant to be in this house together.


End file.
